Henry David Thoreau was a climate change scientist! For the past 15 years, Professor Richard Primack (Boston U.) and his team have been using Thoreau’s records from the 1850s and other Massachusetts data sources to document the earlier flowering and leafing out times of plants and the more variable response of migratory birds. Most noteworthy, plants in Concord are also changing in abundance due to a warming climate. This work has received extensive media coverage and is now being extended to the neglected autumn season. What would Thoreau tell us to do about global warming if he were alive today?Richard Primack is a Professor of Biology with a specialization in plant ecology, conservation biology, tropical rain forest ecology, and climate change biology. He is the author and editor of books about tropical rainforests and has written a popular book about his Concord research: Walden Warming: Climate Change Comes to Thoreau’s Woods.

This talk will be followed by a reception with the speaker. Pre-registration is free but required as this program will fill fast. Online registration available

Instructions and Directions:This program will be held at the Natick Center for the Arts (TCAN) 14 Summer Street, Natick, MA 01760